McNair's
North Park Beer Company

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: Scottish Ale
Glass: North Park 400-ml. Rastal Lawrence tumbler (green) glass
Price: $4.69
From: Windmill Farms in San Diego (Del Cerro), Calif.
Purchased: Jan. 6, 2023
Consumed: Jan. 7, 2023
Misc.: Canned on Nov. 30, 2022 (I think; hard to read)

Went to Windmill Farms and came away with nine solo cans, and two 6-packs. North Park’s website called it “Loaded with a delicious array of the finest British malts, our McNair’s Scottish Amber features bold malty flavors of toffee, rich caramel, dark fruits, and toasted bread. Whether you’re a malt hound or just looking for a clean, balanced, and approachable beer with uncompromising drinkability, look no further, have a McNair’s!”

Poured a reddish-brown color with 3-to-4 fingers of khaki white head. Pretty calm underneath. Very good spotty-to-foggy lacing. Outstanding retention. (Sight - 4.25)

Smelled toasted bread, toffee, caramel, plum, dark fruit and hints of chocolate. Not as good from the can. (Smell - 4.25)

Tasted just as good as the nose. Man this is good. In order got toffee, caramel, toasted bread, plum, dark fruit and fig. (Taste - 4.50)

Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Long finish. (Feel - 4.50)

Damn. This was great for the style. So glad I picked up a can. I’ll be having much more of this. (Overall - 4.25)

4.38 | 97 | A

This is a bit of a tough one for the Raul man. Either way, North Park will get what they get because they don’t date their cans. And at the end of the day, it’s kind of like getting married to a hottie before any “boom boom” or even moving in together. Sure, you’re stoked. But you can’t be sure what you are getting yourself into before you cross those bridges. And here with McNair’s, I’m just not sure. Tastes like potential, but also faded because of possible oldness.

And Raul moves on…

Sweet caramel bready malty, faint hint of all-spice, and hint of dark fruity nose on this one! Taste follows with a super clean and flavorful, caramel malty, and lightly bitter finish. This packs a lot of flavor in a light crushable package...perfect for that all-day or celebratory drinking where you might have a "few". This is a well-done and fantastic representative of what a Scottish Ale should be!

June 24th, 2016 - This is my first taster for the brand new North Parkm Brewing Co. Brewery, starting with the most mild and approachable of the four beers available: a Scottish Session Ale. The style is novel (to me), though it looks and smells like a Scotch Ale, with heavy roasted and caramel notes. But the alcohol and overweening sugars are absent. Instead, there's a roasted flavor that is savory and even chewy, like the darker bits of a granola bar. BUt at the same time it is quenching, and extremely easy to drink. And before I know it, the thing is halfway gone, but even such a small dose (a sampler) delivers a lot of flavor.